Seven Years After Bus Accident, Lawsuit Settled and Healing Continues

On January 29, 2005 a team bus carrying the women’s Windsor Wildcats basketball team was involved in a bus accident. Four people were killed and 18 survived. Now, five years later, the lawsuit has been settled though many of the survivors still struggle with the events of that day.

Their coach, his son, a teammate and her mother were all killed in the accident. Many of the young women were seriously injured. According to the Windsor Star, some are lucky to be alive after the bus accident.

Courtney Cowen, who is now 25, suffered with critical injuries including both legs broken, severed knee ligaments, a broken nose and a fractured skull. She underwent 11 surgeries following the bus accident and still must go to the hospital on a regular basis for appointments and physical therapy. Her knee still gives her trouble.

When meeting emergency personnel after the bus accident, one of them told Cowen that they didn’t think she would make it at the time, having lost a lot of blood through the wounds in her legs.

The physical pain of a bus accident or a tragic car accident is only half of the story. There is emotional trauma as well.

Cowen was forced to leave college after the accident; she was pursuing a degree in animation. When she returned to school, her grades suffered before she finally left and got a job instead. Though the memories aren’t as vivid as they once were, she says she still thinks about the accident and it still causes her pain.

Cowen is only one of 18 survivors, and each woman has to heal on her own terms. A successful lawsuit may be helping them to heal, or at least to cover the expenses associated with the injuries they experienced. The civil suit settled for $36 million last November.

Such a large settlement will be split between the claimants, or those injured parties. They will be able to use the money to pay their medical bills and to give them peace of mind for all of the pain and suffering they went through as a result of the bus accident.

The news reports don’t make it clear if the civil action was brought against the bus company or another driver who caused the accident, but one thing is certain-they had an experienced bus accident attorney on their side.